The Vision Boards, a way to create the life of your dreams

I already spoke about what Shakti Gawain calls the “Treasure Maps” in her book “Creative Visualization“.

As a reminder, it’s collages made on a large piece of paper. Images come from magazines, and are chosen regarding a side of your life you want to change, something you want to be, to have.

I do not have finished “The Secret” book (by Rhonda Byrne) yet (and I should watch the movie, too), but I know that Vision Boards are mentionned in it. I don’t know how deep it’s mentionned, by the way. Why ? Simply because Vision Boards and the Law of Attraction are closely linked one with the other.

I now totally understand the difference between “visioning” and “visualization”. The first one is the concretisation of what is on our mind, it makes it touchable. We dream our life and we put what we want it to be onto paper with images and words. While when we “just” visualize, all stays in our mind. None is better than the other, or is more efficient. They are different. And for me, visualization takes part in the visioning process.

I currently read two books about Vision Boards. The first one is written by famous Lucia Capacchione, that I do love for her work toward the Creative Journal, the inner child and the power of the other hand. Its name is  “Visioning, ten steps to design the life of your dreams“.

She describes all the process to create a Vision Board, with concrete exemples, inspiring quotes and so on. She knows people who worked with Walt Disney, designers, people who draws… It’s a really rich book, very pleasant to read.

Here is her official website: Lucia Capacchione. You’ll find all her books, CDs, work etc. on it.

The book is very wide, here is the index (it’s long):

Part 1 – The Process 1
Chapter 1 – The Designer Within

* Thinking with Your Heart
* What is Design?
* Thinking in Pictures
* Visual Imagery: How it Works
Visualization: The Mind’s Eye
* Dreaming the Impossible Dream
* Block Busters
* Thoughts Becoming Things
Visualization: Picture This
* We’re All Designers
Visualization: Reflecting on Past Successes
* The Fear of Art
* Art-Making, Your Natural Birthright
Visualization: Dreams that Came True
* Visioning: How it Works
* Ten Principles of Design
* The Ten Steps of Visioning
* Techniques Used in Visioning
* Two Brains, Two Hands
Journal: Warming Up-Dancing on Paper

Chapter 2 – The Field of Dreams

* Preparing the Inner and Outer Space
* Gather the Tools
* Supplies
* Setting Up Your “Creativity Gym”
* Prepare the Space
* Talismans, Totems, and Good Luck Charms
Preparation: Setting the Stage, Creating a Studio
* Prepare your Inner Space
Focus: Creating the Container
Imagery: Symbol for Your Creative Self
* Unfolding from the Creative Self
* Moving from the Creative Self
Movement Meditation: Inner Listening
* The Silent Partner
Journal: Meet Your Creative Conscience

Chapter 3 – Get a Dream, Get a Life

* First Design Principle: Get an Idea
* Visioning Step 1:Make a Wish
* The Courage to Dream
Journal: Permission to Act
* Finding a Focus
* Crafting a Focus Phrase
* Focus Phrases: A menu of Possible Themes
Journal: Finding My Focus Phrase
Journal: What’s the Problem?
* Reinforcing Your Focus Phrase
Focus: Flash Cards

Chapter 4 Sorting and Shifting

* Second Design Principle: Feed Your Idea with Research
* Visioning Step 2: Search for Images and Words
* Explore the Treasures in Your Research Bank: The Art of Gathering
* Image-Finding as Meditation
Research: Grab What Grabs You
* Ad Art as Poetry in the Marketplace
Poem-making: Wordplay
* Third Design Principle: Connect the Research to Your Own Idea
* Visioning Step 3: Focus on the Vision
* The Balance Between Freedom and Structure
* Following Your Heart
Focus: What’s Hot and What’s Not?
* What’s in a Word?
* Magazines as Chinese Fortune Cookies
Poem-making: More Wordplay

Chapter 5 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

* Fourth Design Principle: Assemble the Design Elements
* Visioning Step 4: Compose the Design
* Design by Intuition
* Lay out the Elements
Focus and Contemplation: Your Symbol Here
* Random Acts of Beauty: Seeing Relationships, Making Connections
* Finding Your Own Style
Focus: Playing in the Land of Make-Believe
* Matching Words and Pictures
Word Jazz: Ransom Notes from the Soul

Chapter 6 Order Out of Chaos

* Fifth Design Principle: Mix and Match in Rough Mock-up Stage
* Chaos and Creativity
* Visioning Step 5: Explore and Find Order in Creative Chaos
* Recognizing the Inner Critic
Journal: The Inner Critic
* The Mistakes Myth
Journal: Guidance from the Creative Self

Chapter 7 The Design of Your Life

* Sixth Design Principle: Develop the Design
* The Pieces Coming Together
* Visioning Step 6: Create the Collage
Collage: Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together
* Turning Words on Their Heads
* Zen and the Art of Cut and Paste
Collage: Word Weaving
* God is in the Details
Mixed Media: Connect the Dots
* Other Formats for Visioning

Part 2 – Seeing Results
Letting Your Mind See What Your Heart Already Knows

Chapter 8 Talking Pictures

Seventh Design Principle: Refine and Finalize the Design

* Visioning Step 7: Articulate the Vision
Journal: Image Writing
* If Pictures Could Talk
Journal: Writing by Heart
* The Story Inside the Collage
Journal: Telling My Story
* Eighth Design Principle: Start the Production Process
* Visioning Step 8: Reinforce the Dream
Visual Affirmation and Visualization: What You See is What You Get
* Dealing with Resistance
* Protect Your Dream
Journal: Keeping the Faith
* A Wish Your Heart Makes

Chapter 9 Seeing is Believing

* Ninth Design Principle: Get Help
* Visioning Step 9: Embrace the Reality
* Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There
* What’s Behind the Dream
* It’s About Time
Journal: At the Write Time
* Taking Care of Business
Journal: Thinking with Both Sides of Your Brain
* As Luck Would Have It
Journal In the Write Place
* Reach Out for Help
Journal: My Personal Dream Team

Chapter 10 Let’s Have a Party

* Tenth Design Principle: Complete and Celebrate the Final Product
* Visioning Step 10: Celebrate the Dream Come True
Journal: Give Yourself a Hand
* Lessons Learned, Qualities Earned
Journal: You’ve Got What It Takes
* Saying Thanks
Journal: Thanks to the Creative Self
* Credit Where Credit is Due
Letter Writing: Reach Out and Thank Someone
* Celebrating the Dream
Journal: Throwing a Celebrate-the-Dream Party

Part 3 Visioning in Action
Photo Album of Success Stories; Ideas and Suggestions

11 Visioning in Work and Career

* Problems on the Job: Dealing with Difficult People
Case Study: Marissa and the Manager from Hell
* Job Change and Career Transition
Case Study: Hold Fast to Dreams
* Affirming What You Want
* Collage and Journal Applications
* Illness and work
* You and Your Career
* Visioning in a Support Group
* Organizing a Visioning Group
* Structuring a Group Session
* Group Dynamics
* The Power of Group Support
* Collaborative Visioning for Teams, Companies, and Organizations
* Visioning at Work
* Visioning and Organizational Development
* Activities for Organizational Visioning
* Team Building and Project Development

Chapter 12 Visioning and Relationships

* Finding Love in All the Right Places
Case Study: Lisa’s Story and Collages
* Wedding Bells and Honeymoons
Case Study: Aleta’s Collages
* Baby Makes Three
Case Study: Christine’s Story, Collage, and Baby Announcement
* Suggestions and Applications
* Creating a New Relationship
* Improving an Ongoing Relationship
* Collaborative Visioning for Families
* Media for Family Collages
Case Study: Beverly and Tom Vision Together
* A Collage for the Whole Family

Chapter 13 Visioning for Health and Well-Being

* Regaining the Self
Case Study: Gayle’s Story of Inner Healing
* The Creative Self Diet
Case Study: Susan’s Story of Healing, Change, and Weight Loss
* Money, Self-Worth, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Case Study: Mark’s Story
* Finding Abundance Within
Case Study: Greg’s Story of Discovering True Wealth
* Suggestions and Applications
* Body Image, Self-Image
* Illness and Pain
* Abundance

Chapter 14 Visioning to Find Your Place
* A Home for the Heart
Case Study: Lucia’s Story of her Dream House
* Dreams for Rent
* Mara Moves to Santa Fe
Case Study: Relocating to a New Area
* Anna’s Ranch
Case Study: Anna Finds Her Dream Ranch
* In Closing

the second book I am reading is written by Joyce Schwartz and its title is simply “The Vision Board, the secret to an extraordinary life.”

Here again, Joyce Schwartz illustrates her words with concrete examples, and a lot of colorful photos. It’s a really pragmatic approach. You may find the book a little bit “where do I have to read” because it’s full of informations, writings and pictures.

She explains why Vision Boards are so powerful, and why they’re different from all the other tools we have in hand to settle the Law of Attraction in our lives.

She also proposes some funny exercices.

Here is her official website: I have a vision.

Here is the book index:

• Foreword by Bob Proctor
• Introduction
• Visioning
• Your personal vision statement
• Creating vision boards
• Activating your vision boards
• Relationships
• Gratitude
• Wealth & Well-being
• Afterword by Jack Canfield
• Acknowledgments
• Contributor Credits and Resources
• About the featured artists

These to book complete perfectly each other. I wait to have several hours free, only for me, to make Vision Boards. It’s what I miss the most for my creativity: time on my own, while I won’t have to look every minutes to the clock to check if I’ll be late or not, if my daughters will soon wake up…

Vision Boards making requires magazines, newspapers. Personally, I keep all free newspapers I find, magazines I find in shops, that kind of stuff. I have a bag that starts to be full. At first sight, we think we’d never find images that match our will, but you’ll see you’re wrong. Words are important too, out of their context. So… grab !